Monday, October 25, 2004

Ouch! That hurt!

It was a nice Sunday for football. Was. I am still waiting for the defense to show up.
The trip started well. Traffic wasn't bad as we zipped up 43. Along the way cars and trucks would pass us by and people would hold up a Cowboys shirt. I'd give them the thumbs up and wave them on. We found the Shell station and the guy who was selling us his tickets. Nice guy who apparently needed the money so he wasn't attending the game. Went and parked in the usual spot, the bank, forking over 10 bucks to the Boy Scouts. The scout leaders were quite thankful, thanking us twice. Not a comment was made about the Roy Williams jersey. Put on the white Star hat and we were off to get some lunch. I suggested we stop in to BW3 and we did. James and I walked down the street towards the restaurant with my Spidey senses tingling. Something just didn't seem right. We entered the bar and found a table, walking through and by Packer fans. Not a single comment. We had a couple beers and some wings and talked about how there was no trash talking going on at work leading up to the game. We thought about how that might change if the Packers would win. I think people here know my position- if you don't talk before the game, you have no right to talk after the game. But sitting among this Green Bay crowd without a person saying Boo to us was strange. Even when I went to the restroom, I thought this guy might give me shit for being a Cowboys fan. Nope, he wondered what the score of the Minnesota game was. Strange.

I got on the horn and found Mark. He and Kim were over at the Bar so we wandered over there. Along the way ran into a number of Cowboys fans (there were a good number of us there yesterday, more than I had remembered in the past games). But again, nary a Packer fan was saying a thing to us. It was a little surreal. This isn't how it has been in the past. No taunting, no clever words of wisdom hurled at us, nothing. We walked through parking lots, past many tailgaters and heard nothing. Still seems strange. We left the Bar with M&K and headed in to Lambeau. Still no one is saying a thing to us. We are having a good time, seeing even more Cowboys fans. I am feeling good. The stadium looks much better than what it was. The Atrium is nice. Wanted to go into Curly's but there was a line to get in. So we wandered about. There was a crappy band playing so we got by them. Went up the stairs to the upper concourse and found our seats. We walked around a bit to check out the stadium. Ran into Pete from the bar. Our seats weren't bad. Good view of the field, but we were in a corner around the 10 yard line or so. Some people around us ribbed us a bit when they saw they had Cowboys fans in front of them. Now this is what I was expecting. Nothing nasty and it was well done. Until the asshole on James right showed up. But I will get to that later. People behind us were a little shocked (maybe disappointed) that we weren't from Texas. But that didn't stop them from forgetting. I think we told them we were from Milwaukee 5 times. In the end, we gave up and started talking about our flight home. People in front of us were a little cranky. Some older men who were pretty serious about the game, but would loosen up. Some other guys in front were cool. We talked about going to other stadiums for games. Overall a good crowd around us except for the one asshole.

The game starts and starts out well. Dallas goes up by 3. But that would be about it. The defense was pathetic. Embarrassingly pathetic. I think they stopped them once on 3rd down (final stats I guess said the Packers were 9 for 13 on third down conversions). The punter did not see the field until 10 minutes left in the game. That is how bad it was. The Cowboys defense couldn't stop a pop warner team yesterday. The Packers took it to them and took it to them good. I was shocked and very disappointed. They could have hung with them but the defense was non-existent. But we sat through it all.

And the asshole was going to try to make us unhappy. But he didn't get it. Again, not understanding we drove up from Milwaukee, he started to say we were idiots for spending a lot of money to travel all the way to this game. Anyone who would spend a thousand dollars to travel to a game was an idiot to him. I told him we didn't spend that kind of money. He then says that anyone who would travel to a different stadium was stupid no matter how little it cost. That got. This guy was no fan and I let him know it. Who doesn't want to support their team? Going to opponent's stadium to watch your team is one of the best things to do. But this asshole didn't get it. I told him a true fan goes to see their team when and where they can. They spend the money to support them. I pointed the people in front of me that talked about traveling to watch the Packers. They were true fans. This assclown was not. He kept yelling for the Packers to run up the score, trying to get me and James mad. By staying til the end, I think it pissed him off more.

I think this asshole trumped the dipshit in the men's room. At halftime, I go to do what I gotta do and the idiot behind me starts in on me for my jersey. He starts by accusing me of wearing a Rickey Williams jersey. Wrong player, wrong team idiot. From there he goes on to say that I must be smoking weed like Rickey too. Why, I do not know. But he goes on and on. It only changes when he sees the Bush/Cheney sticker on the front and starts on the war. I give him some hell back on that as apparently he has no respect for his own freedom or out troops. At this point, a couple Packer fans tell him to pipe down. I zip up and go to wash my hands. A Packer fan approaches me and I think, great, another one. Instead he shakes my hand and tells me that why doesn't agree with my football choice, he agrees with my politics and tells me ignore that idiot. At that time I realize that these people are pretty conservative here.

When the final second ticked off, and the disaster was over, we left. We shook the hands of the people around us, congratulated them and off we went. We took our ass kicking with dignity. Talked about the lack of a defense with other Cowboys fans on the way out. Heard some hooting and hollering, but nothing bad. Some guy came up to us and flipped us off. Again, why I don't know. I applauded him and his "class". Guy walking in front of us called him an asshole. He was with his friend who was a Cowboys fan. He talked about how some Packer fans becomes asses when they win. Yeah, it happens with all teams. But I ignored them. I talked with those who knew how to win with class and dignity. We left the stadium exiting right by the team buses. Some players were boarding and others were already on the bus. I saw one player leaning over the seat in front of him, head down. I said to James that he should have his head down after that performance. We walked down the street towards the car. Even in victory, nothing was really said to us. That was a good kind of strange. Overall people were just happy about winning again.

So what does one do when leaving a game and not wanting to deal with traffic? Go to Hooters of course! I needed more wings in me! We pulled out of the parking lot and got stuck behind a big Chevy pickup that didn't know how to merge with traffic. After being behind him for a number of minutes, I layed on the horn. Someone finally lets him in and I follow closely behind him. A taxi goes whipping by on my left as I make the turn. We drive down Holmgren way in the right lane, zooming by traffic that is going to be entering the highway. At this point, I realize a small problem. Hooters is going to be on the left. How am I going to get by all these cars? I see a small opening and zip in front of a guy. I can just hear him now thinking some asshole is cutting in front of him. He has probably been in that lane for 10 minutes waiting his turn. But I zip in and through to the Hooter's lot my nifty move.

Some guy starts to give us shit (not in a bad way) inside. I can't help but remind him that he must love the Cowboys if he is bringing them up. We order our food and get more beer. The waitress seems oblivious to the game. As we drink our beer one of the guys from the other table comes over and sits down. Fantastic, now there could be a brawl as I am not in the mood. But he was cool. He talked about the game objectively. He then talked a bit more about other games. When he was done, he extended his hand and wished us well. Good guy. We eat our food and get ready to hit the road for the drive back. Traffic has cleared out front so I am hoping that the majority of the cars are ahead of us and the drive won't be a problem.

But then again, I give people too much credit. I have come to the conclusion that people have no clue on how to drive in a two lane highway. No clue whatsoever. The concept of slower traffic keeping to the right is gone. People would stay in the left lane and slow everyone down. If you are going to do the speed limit, stay in the right lane and let the faster traffic pass you! Again and again, people were just camped in that left lane, oblivious to what is going on around them. Worse were the people that would change into the left lane right in front of you, slowing you down so they could get by the car in the right lane. Like they couldn't wait another 10 to let me get by first. But the topper had to be the moron in the Saturn. It seemed he was not going to leave that left lane no matter what. He was going to do 70 and drive right along the mini van in the right lane and block everyone. Funny was the mini van was James's parents! After a couple miles, the Saturn finally got out of the way, but not until he tapped his breaks a number of times as I rode his ass. Again, get out of that lane.

In the end, it was an interesting day. Disappointed, but undaunted. There is always next Sunday. Now, I just need to see who says what to me today.

1 comment:

Two seasons ago when the Steeles made the playoffs, a buddy and I paid the big bucks for tickets to see them play the Titans in Nashville. We wore our black and gold from head to toe and walked the 20 minutes to the stadium with out heads held high. We took the abuse we expected, and most of it was good natured fun. After they lost in overtime in 20 degree weather, the Titans season ticket holders around us invited us to tailgate with them until traffic subsided. We bbq'ed, we had a few drinks, and made friends with people who were true fans.

They were gracious in winning, we took our defeat like men, and a good time was had by all. Now that is what football is supposed to be like.